Dirk P. Walls didn’t seem a bad sort. His teeth would thank him if he quit the dip and he could use a more frequent hygiene regimen, but he was a man’s man who knew what he was about. His truck ran well and the white fur on the seat said that a dog was a frequent resident of his passenger seat. He couldn’t be all terrible.
I plucked one of the dog hairs from the seat. “You own a wolf?”
He glanced at me and then the hair. “White shepherd.”
“Start talking, Dirk. What were you doing outside the Phillips’ house tonight?”
“Just watching out for her is all.”
“For Isla Phillips.”
“Been a friend to Foster. He’d want her checked on.”
“And with a heart of gold like yours, you’re the man for the job.” I checked the time. It was almost one o’clock. Good thing I had a siesta. “So tell me the story, Dirk. Foster takes his life, you pop round to see how the missus is doing. How often? You been by before?”
“Time or two. Nothing to trouble yourself over.”
“You must think I’m an idiot. Did you not get close enough to my office to read the sign?”
Dirk Walls sucked his teeth.
“Says ‘detective,’” I added, in case he wasn’t getting it.
“Shit.” It came out like “she-it.”
“You want me to go poking around your life, pestering everyone with questions and stirring things up? It’s literally my job and I’m annoying as hell.”
Dirk was staring hard at the road but his mind was on my threat.
“Or you could cut the bullshit now and tell me what you were really doing there.”
I let the ensuing silence work on him. Only took about a minute till he cracked.
“Foster and I had an arrangement. Just business.”
“What kind?”
“Unfinished kind.”
“Seems like you finished it to me.”
“What? No. Not like that. You think I killed him?” Dirk’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
“Who said he was killed?”
“Nobody. He killed his self.”
“This business you had get Foster killed? You in it too? Who else?”
Dirk clenched his jaw.
“Okay. Here’s how this game goes. Foster was murdered and you just shot straight to the top of my suspect list. In order to not be at the top, someone else with a motive has to bump you. Who else knew what you were into?”
“Not saying nothing else.”
“That’s a double negative.”
“I’m done talking.”
I pressed him. “There were a couple guys in a black Mercedes SUV sitting outside Foster’s house the day he died. Big ugly fat one and a slick skinny one with pinched eyes. White dudes. You know ’em?”
His eyes narrowed. “No.”
I’d bet he did.
“You’re making me resort to poking around. Gonna be a lot of poking. Bound to run into whoever it is knows you’re involved. Maybe I’ll have to tell them you’re involved. Either way it’ll be awkward.”
“Stay out of it then.”
“Awkward for other people. Not me. You mostly.”
“What are you gonna say to ’em?”
“I’ll say Mr. Dirk P. Walls is holding out on them. Knows things he won’t share.”
“You’re full of shit.”
“How so?”
“Because Foster wasn’t murdered. Did himself in.”
“Sure about that?”
“Told me he was going to.”
“He told you he was going to kill himself?”
“Not outright. But something like it. Said, ‘You know there’s a beach for the dead? That’s the place I’m going.’”
“Beach for the dead.”
“That’s what he said. And sure enough, he did it.”
“When was this?”
“Day he died.”
We were up Fourth Street by now. Dirk’s eyes flicked to the Burger King sign on Thirty-Eighth Avenue. Open late. Sitting outside Isla’s all night must have been hungry work.
“Pull in.” I gestured to the turn lane. He didn’t hesitate. I reached for my wallet and extracted a few bills. I added an extra twenty and let him see it.
He eased into the line of cars waiting at the drive-thru.
“Dinner’s on me if you give me a good reason you aren’t Foster’s killer.”
“We served together. Afghanistan. In the shit.”
I swore internally and gave him the cash.
Dirk chewed his lip. Ruminating on something. But he spoke again. “Foster said he had a job coming up. Something to do with the casino his old lady works at. Said he might be out of town for a bit. He wanted me to look in on her. Make sure nobody came around messing with her. You seen her. Never been a day in her life she was single when she didn’t want to be.”
“So you took it upon yourself to be the relationship police? What, she’s supposed to consult you before she’s allowed around other men?”
“Foster was my friend. Just doing what he wanted done.”
“Foster’s dead. What’s he care now?”
“You ever knew what it was to follow orders, maybe you’d understand. There’s a code. A man does what he has to for his boys. He made it sound like she might be in some kind of trouble with him gone. I told him I had his back. So him dead or not, that’s what I’ll do.”
“I don’t believe you, Dirk. I’m going to ask around about you.”
“You ain’t gonna find nothin’.” He spit out the window.
“There you go with your double negatives again. I’ll leave you now.”
“Don’t be telling nobody about me, you understand? I’m just doing what he wanted.”
I popped the door open and climbed out. “Your secrets aren’t unsafe with me.” I slammed the door.
Dirk gave me a scowl. I got the impression would have liked to roar off in a cloud of exhaust smoke, but his position in the drive-thru line precluded such a manly exit.
I revised my opinion of Dirk. Dog or no dog, he was an asshole.